What after CMAT Result 2026? Top MBA Colleges, Cut Off, GD/PI Preparation

Senior Manager - Content

Updated on Feb 17, 2026 22:19 IST

CMAT 2026 result has been announced on February 17. Those who had appeared for the test need to prepare for the next steps. But what is that next step? Know here what to do after the CMAT result 2026 declaration. Read in detail what after CMAT 2026 result?

CMAT 2026 result has been announced today.Candidates have to now plan the next steps for MBA admission. But what is that next step? Know here what to do after the CMAT result 2026.

CMAT 2026 exam was conducted on January 25, 2026 and the result was declared on February 17, 2026. Now that the result has been declared, candidates should start searching for the most suitable MBA college. There are over 1,300 MBA colleges in India accepting CMAT exam scores. One can select a college based on their preference, but they will have to meet the admission cut off. Not only that, a candidate will also have to clear the selection process round of that college to confirm admission.

Before selecting a CMAT college, do keep in mind course recognition, fees, infrastructure, location and placements. It is very important to assess these parameters for value for money on the MBA degree. Here's what CMAT 2026 test takers can do after result announcement.

Table of contents

What After CMAT Result 2026?
Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score
Group Discussion and Personal Interview
How to Prepare for GD
How to Prepare for PI
Appear for Other MBA Entrance Exams

What After CMAT Result 2026?

CMAT 2026 exam result has been declared at the CMAT-NTA website. MBA colleges accepting CMAT score for MBA/PGDM have already started to invite applications from students. Application window of many colleges is already open. CMAT exam aspirants can check the application status and apply already. It they meet the cut off after result announcement, they will be called for the interview round.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Does NTA conduct MBA Admission through CMAT?

No, the NTA doesn't conduct common counselling for admission through CMAT. The role of NTA viz. CMAT ends with result declaration. The CMAT accepting colleges conduct their own admission process individually. Candidates have to fill admission forms of the target colleges individually. The MBA colleges and universities accepting CMAT scores conduct group discussion and Personal Interview to select candidates for admission. This selection is based on minimum CMAT cut off fixed by the institute. Admission through CMAT also includes assessment of candidates on the basis of other parameters such as academic record and work experience (not mandatory for all colleges). Overall, the admission process through CMAT includes selection of candidates on the basis of: 1. CMAT score 2. Class 10, 12 and graduation score 3. Work profile and other activities 4. Performance in Personal Interview and group discussion To check your chances of CMAT admission check this college predictor: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cmat-college-predictor.

Q: What is a good score in CMAT for admission to top MBA colleges?

Ideally, one would say that 99 to100 percentile is good for MBA Admission. However, it is not possible for all candidates to score so high. So, what shall be considered a good score in CMAT. A good CMAT score is basically a score that will get you a seat in your desired college. So, if you desire a Tier 1 college, a good score in CMAT will be 85 percentile and above. If you desire a Tier 2 college, a good score in CMAT will be 70 to 85 percentile and for a Tier 3 college, less than 70 percentile in CMAT will be good. Now, if you want to understand CMAT. Score in terms of percentile, so that while giving the exam you know how much raw score is needed to get the required percentile for the desired college, you need to know how much CMAT score is equal to percentile. About 340 to 350 score is equal to 100 percentile in CMAT About 281to 340 score is equal to 90 to 99.99 percentile in CMAT About 201 to 280 score is equal to 81 to 89 percentile in CMAT About 171 to 200 score is equal to 71to 80 percentile in CMAT About 140 to 171 score is equal to 61 to 70 percentile in CMAT About 116 to 140 score is equal to 51 to 60 percentile in CMAT.

Q: Which are the top colleges for MBA with CMAT score of 80 to 85 percentile?

If you score between 80 to 85 percentile CMAT you need not worry about admission. There are a large number of MBA colleges that accept candidates with CMAT score in the range of 80 to 85 percentile. A number of government as well as private institutes with good infrastructure and placements are within your reach. Some of those popular colleges include, Welingkar Institute of Management-Mumbai, Welingkar Institute of Management-Bangalore, Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, IFIM-Bangalore, IFMR- Chennai, NIBM-Pune, NL Dalmiya Institute of Management, IMT Hyderabad, IMT Nagpur, XISS Ranchi, ITM Navi Mumbai, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, Xavier Business School-Xavier University, Great Lakes Institute of Management-Gurgaon, BIMTECH-Greater Noida, XIME-Bangalore, ISBM-Pune, Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow, KIIT School of Management, IPE Hyderabad, SIES College of Management Studies-Navi Mumbai and Chetana Institute of Management and Research-Mumbai among others.

Q: Which are the top colleges for MBA with CMAT score of 65-75 percentile?

Candidates with CMAT score of 65-75 percentile, must not feel bad about their comparatively low score. There are number of good MBA colleges in India which accept CMAT scores in this range for their postgraduate management courses. Some of the college that accept CMAT score of 65-75 percentile include, BIMTECH-Greater Noida, BIT-Mesra, DY Patil School of Management-Pune, DY Patil School of Management-Pune, Calcutta Business School, New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM) New Delhi, Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME) Chennai, IES Management College And Research Centre, Mumbai, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, FIIB Delhi: Fortune Institute of International Business, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII Ahmedabad), VESIM Mumbai, Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies, Delhi School of Business, EMPI Business School New Delhi, Jaypee Business School (JBS) Noida, International Institute of Management Studies (IIMS) Pune among others.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score

We have listed some of the top MBA colleges in India accepting CMAT score for admission along with expected admission cut offs for 2026 batch.

MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score	Expected CMAT Cut Off
JBIMS, Mumbai	99.9+ percentile
Goa Institute of Management	95-99 percentile
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management	95-99 percentile
SIMSREE, Mumbai	99+ percentile
Great Lakes Institute of Management	95-99 percentile
IPE Hyderabad	90-95 percentile
University of Pune, Dept of Management Sciences	95-99 percentile
Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai	85 percentile
Welingkar Institute of Management, Bangalore	80 percentile
Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management	85 percentile
IFIM, Bangalore	85 percentile
IFMR, Chennai	85 percentile
NIBM, Pune	85 percentile
NL Dalmiya Institute of Management	85 percentile
IMT, Hyderabad	80 percentile
IMT, Nagpur	80 percentile
XISS, Ranchi	80 percentile
ITM, Navi Mumbai	80 percentile
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida	85 percentile

Group Discussion and Personal Interview

Admission to MBA programmes through CMAT is based on Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) in almost all CMAT accepting colleges. So, start preparing for GD/PI. Performing well in the GD/PI is essential for MBA admission. The final selection for admission is based mainly on GD/PI performance.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many mock tests to attempt to score 99 percentile in CMAT?

There is no particular number of CMAT mock test that you should target to solve during your preparation phase but on an average it has been seen that about 30-40 CMAT mock tests are good enough to score 99 percentile. Candidates must start solving CMAT mock tests after completing the syllabus as it will help them gauge which are the topics that they have understood well and which are the topics that require more work. 30-34 CMAT mock tests are recommended as, CMAT exam is all about speed and accuracy. The more questions you'll solve in an exam environment, the better you'll get at understanding, choosing and solving questions faster and correctly. Important point to note about practicing CMAT mock test is that one should analyse every mock test to understand the gaps and fissures and what to do to fill them. Another aspect to keep in mind is not to overdo it. When you start to score 98-99 percentile in CMAT mock tests consistently then you should stop and focus on revision, etc.

Q: I scored less than 50 percent marks in Graduation. Am I eligible to apply for CMAT?

Yes, you are eligible to apply for CMAT exam. Any candidate who has secured passing marks in graduation can apply for CMAT. Candidates must ensure that they have cleared graduation to be able to apply. Final year students planning to appear for the exam must ensure that they have passed the first two years of Bachelor's degree and must target passing marks in the final year as well. However, colleges accepting CMAT score for admission have a 50 per cent in graduation. The minimum score requirement for SC, ST, PwD candidates is 45 per cent as minimum criteria thus candidates must not target passing marks in graduation as even if they will clear CMAT. They might not get admission as they will not meet the institutes academic eligibility criteria.

Q: How to calculate CMAT percentile?

Since CMAT is usually conducted in two shifts, there are chances of the question paper of one shift being slightly tougher or easier in comparison to the question paper of other shift. In order to negate the possibility of any candidate having an advantage or disadvantage due to this, the exam authorities normalise the CMAT scores before percentile calculation. Once that is done, the authorities use the normalised score for percentile score calculation. CMAT percentile is basically a rank of a candidate vs the total number of candidates who appeared in the exam. Given below is the formula for calculating CMAT percentile prescribed by NTA: Formula to Calculate CMAT Percentile: If 10,000 candidates appeared in CMAT and only 1 candidate scored the highest marks (365/400). Since they have scored the highest in exam, their rank will be 1 and CMAT percentile score will be: 100 x 9999/10,000= 99.99.

Q: I don’t have 50 % in graduation. Can I apply for CMAT?

Yes, you can apply for CMAT as only passing marks are required in graduation to apply. However, CMAT accepting colleges accept candidature only above 50% (45% for Reserved categories).

Explore colleges based on CMAT

Symbiosis University of Applied Sciences institute image

Indore

Courses Offered2 courses4.4

Total Fees₹12.50 L

Shri Vishwakarma Skill University institute image

Gurgaon

Courses Offered2 courses3.6

Total Fees₹86.00 K

Management Development Institute institute image

Gurgaon

#9 NIRF

Courses Offered1 course4.4

Total Fees₹8.25 L

S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai institute image

Mumbai

#20 NIRF

Courses Offered1 course

Total Fees₹9.50 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.

+ Add preferences

SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur institute image

Chennai

Courses Offered10 courses

Total Fees₹9.00 L

Amity University, Noida institute image

Noida

#49 NIRF

Courses Offered11 courses3.9

Total Fees₹6.40 L

NIT Rourkela - National Institute of Technology institute image

Rourkela

Courses Offered1 course4.4

Total Fees₹4.00 L

Jaipuria Noida - Jaipuria Institute of Management institute image

Noida

#41 NIRF

Courses Offered6 courses4.0

Total Fees₹14.75 L

LPU - Lovely Professional University institute image

Jalandhar

#44 NIRF

Courses Offered12 courses4.4

Total Fees₹5.60 L

LM Thapar School of Management institute image

Mohali

#46 NIRF

Courses Offered6 courses4.1

Total Fees₹11.70 L

Confused about which college or exam to opt for? assitentRcpRhsImage

Chat with our counselor
Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences

View allCollections

How to Prepare for GD

In GDs for MBA admission, candidates are grouped together in batches. Each batch usually has 8-10 students. A current affairs topic from business, politics or society is given to each batch to discuss. The total duration of a GD is 20 minutes in which every participant is given a minute to speak for or against the topic. Thereafter the floor is thrown open for discussion.

To prepare for GD, students must work on public speaking. However, the main task for GD preparation is to read and be up to date with current affairs. They need to make clear and logical points in a short span of time to make an impression. The key is to make logical points in a coherent manner with a polite tone that hold attention of others. In GD, student's communication ability and leadership skills are evaluated.

How to Prepare for PI

Personal Interview or PI is a more personal interaction between the institute authorities and the student. In PI, students are mostly asked about their academic background and interests. Interviewers tend to often ask questions related to the student’s area of study or work. Common questions asked are, “Why MBA?” and “Why did you select this institute for admission?” Give a simple and straightforward answer explaining your career path. Research about the institute to elaborate on why you chose the institute.

The key to a successful personal interview is being courteous, polite and having clarity of thoughts. Don’t get nervous, treat it as a general interaction with teachers. This year, most of the MBA colleges are conducting PIs in online mode. Make sure you have a camera and relevant video calling apps installed on your computer system/laptop or smartphone.

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

MAT

MAT May 2026 PBT Admit Card

28 May '26

ATMA

ATMA 2026: Last Date of Fee Pa...

28 Jun '26

TSICET

TGICET Preliminary Answer Key ...

29 May '26

PIM-MAT

PIM-MAT 2026 Registration

23 Apr '26 - 30 May '26

KIITEE Management

KIITEE MBA 2026 Registrations

9 Oct '25 - 31 May '26

KLMAT

KLMAT 2026 Application

2 Jan '26 - 31 May '26

ALLIANCE-AMAT

Alliance AMAT 2026 Last Date o...

31 May '26

KMAT KERALA

KMAT Kerala 2026 (Session 2)

31 May '26

PU MET

PU MET 2026 Result

31 May '26

AIET

DPU AIET/CET 2026 Exam

28 Jun '26

Appear for Other MBA Entrance Exams

In case, your performance is not up to the mark in CMAT 2026 and you don’t get the college you want. Attempt other MBA entrance exams such as MAT and ATMA

MAT and ATMA are conducted multiple times in a year (May, September, December and February), so you can appear for them after CMAT 2026 result. If you can afford to drop a year, then you can also appear for CAT, XAT, SNAP or NMAT in the winter-cycle. In fact, you can also attempt CMAT 2027. If you drop a year, you will get more time for preparation to improve your performance.

Also Read: Top 20 MBA entrance exams you can take this year

Check CMAT Cut offs and predict calls from colleges accepting CMAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CMAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict CMAT Admission Calls

Videos you may like

About the Author

Vipra Shrivastava

Senior Manager - Content

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

Read Full Bio

Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams